Christine and Shaw Dods-Brooks will not be meeting two of their grandchildren for the first time at Christmas because of new visa requirements for South Africans.
For two years the retired Northland couple had planned a family reunion at Christmas with their son and his two children, Sam, 11, and Taya, 9, and their other grandchildren who also live in Whangarei.
The couple, originally from Zimbabwe but living in New Zealand for 15 years, booked a bach in Matata so they could all be together for a Kiwi-style summer holiday.
It would be the first time the Dods-Brooks and their Whangarei-based grandchildren had met Sam and Taya. But a change in visa requirements ruined the dream.
Immigration NZ announced a new rule in October requiring South Africans to have a visitor visa to enter New Zealand from November 21.
The Dods-Brooks' other daughter and her partner, who live in Canada, were also going to visit for Christmas but, without everyone being able to make it, decided not to.
Immigration NZ area manager Darren Calder said he was not aware of a large number of complaints, although would not provide numbers.
Immigration NZ also denied claims the change had been poorly publicised, saying it had been communicated via media, email, Tourism NZ, airlines and booking agents.
Additional staff were also employed to process applications.
However, Christine Dods-Brooks said people needed to be given more advance warning.
She said when she contacted Immigration NZ to double check the rules she was told they had been inundated by inquiries.
Her son, Paul, who is a pilot, first learned of the new requirements when he went to book tickets for himself, his Canadian wife, and his two children who have South African passports.
Paul is a pilot for a Chinese airline so left it until early November to book the flights once his leave had been approved.
This gave him three weeks to arrange visas and would have required his ex-wife, with whom his children live in Zimbabwe to send their passports to Pretoria in South Africa, which was the closest New Zealand Embassy.
Mrs Dods-Brooks said he felt that was risky and the chances of getting the visa quickly were very slight.
The whole family was devastated the long-awaited trip had been cancelled, she said.
They would all meet up at a family wedding in Canada in August.